Minds Melding
by quinnarrow
Summary: This is the second part of the story Chance Meetings (link in author's notes). Allura believes the Paladins need more mental training. She brings in Maz to help out. Sorry, I suck at summaries.


**Author's Notes: This is the second part of the story _Chance Meetings_ (couldn't get the link to work, sorry).**

 **You're going to be lost with this story without reading the first. Again, this is my fist time writing fanfiction so please be nice.**

 **This part is going to take a lot longer the the first one did. With the Paladin vlogs coming out, I want to make sure I am as accurate as possible. Thanks for your patience and thanks for reading.**

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 **Chapter 1: The Offer**

"Maz? Maz, can you hear me?"

Maz froze in the middle of the hallway. The accent was unmistakable, but when she looked around no one was in sight. Eyebrows knit together in confusion. It couldn't be _that_ could it? The thing had been silent since receiving it.

"Maz, can you hear me?" So, the call DID come through the ear piece.

"Princess?" Maz responded.

"Yes. Are you occupied at the moment?"

"Not at all. What can I do for you?" It was weird talking like this. Maz silently thanked that the corridor was empty.

"I need you to come to the Bridge. You know the location, correct?"

It was pretty hard to forget. That night of star gazing with the Black Paladin would be tough to beat. "I'll be there in a few dobashes."

Her route took Maz past the occupied Training Deck. Training with Keith made his shouts easy to recognize. Blaster fire and the clang of metal meant that some heavy-duty training was happening. It would be a lie to say Maz wasn't tempted to peek.

A few ticks later, the Bridge doors opened with a small _hiss_ and Maz stepped inside. Princess Allura stood in the middle of the room, directly underneath the glowing blue crystal. The holo-screens she was looking at quickly disappeared as the Altean turned towards the door.

Maz gave a respectful head bow. "Princess."

"Hello Maz. You can call me Allura, if you'd like."

"Allura," Maz corrected herself. "Is everything alright?"

"Yes. I wanted to talk with you about something." She walked pass Maz towards the door. "Follow me."

Maz quickly caught up as Allura began her explanation. "You deserve to know why I'm having the Paladins help you. I owe you that much. Being Altean, I am able to 'read' people's quintessence and see what qualities someone possesses. Yours is quite unique."

Allura lead Maz into some kind of control room. Many buttons and switches rested beneath a wall-length window. Maz quickly recognized the Training Deck below. Her breath hitched at the sight.

There were five of them. Five figures wearing gleaming white armor with accents of color. Five heroes working as one unit to take down the Gladiator. Five defenders training against an extremely skilled sword.

Keith was using his usual sword and Lance his usual blaster. Pidge held a spade crackling with electricity. Hunk lugged around an extremely large blaster. And Shiro held nothing.

With Keith at his side, the Black Paladin was face-to-face with the bot, ducking and weaving around every strike. His movements were fluid and precise. Swinging his right arm (that was his prosthetic arm, Maz remembered), Shiro's hand lit up bright purple with energy. The punch was deflected by the sword.

The others were getting into position around the duel. Maz quickly realized that Shiro and Keith were acting as a distraction so the others could take it down from behind. Pidge fired her spade and a bright green cord wrapped around the bots left ankle. Electricity immediately ran through the bot's circuits. Keith and Shiro rolled away as Lance and Hunk opened fire, taking the bot down for good. The Paladins whooped in victory and gave each other high-fives.

A hand was placed on Maz's shoulder, causing her to jump. Allura was looking through the window with a prideful smile.

"It's quite an amazing sight, isn't it? I find it amusing to look back to when they first began. They've come such a long way." She removed her hand and looked at Maz. "But physical training is quite different from mental training."

"I suppose that's true, but what does this have to do with me?"

Allura quickly glanced at her feet. The pride in her eyes quickly fading. "During a recent mission, the Paladins found themselves against a Druid. It didn't really end well. The Druid messed with all of their minds and escaped."

Maz looked on in shock. Based on what she just saw, it was hard to believe that the story was possible.

"We can't afford that to happen again," Allura continued. "I would like you to help make it so. To help them create mental barriers and challenge them within the mind meld."

"Oh," Maz whispered. Her heart was beating erratically. She shifted her gaze back to Allura. "Why me?"

She smiled. "You have traits similar to each Paladin and your own mental barriers are strong. Plus, the Paladins already trust you. It was quite easy to see."

Maz looked down again. "I… uh… I'm…"

"You don't have to decide right now and it is your choice."

Maz nodded and glanced at the door. "I should go. Simac will be looking for me."

"Alright. I await your decision." Allura smiled.

Maz's mind was made up by the time she passed the Security Door.


End file.
